


We Stan Domlene - (fan edit)

by PluF



Category: Mr. Robot (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:20:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22568473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PluF/pseuds/PluF
Summary: The ending demanding domlene stans deserved
Relationships: Darlene Alderson/Dominique DiPierro
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	1. Baby - take me - to the - feeling

**Author's Note:**

> I just wasn't fully satisfied with how things ended,  
> Sam was a bit too cruel with the whole rom-com-style airport situation.  
> I hope you enjoy the read, this is my first fanfic ever (the second one that I post)!
> 
> There are other chapters in the making, stay tuned ;)
> 
> Enjoy the ride!

The stitches were still pulling her skin, but she couldn’t feel the pain anymore. Her heart was breaking into pieces one step at the time, anything else didn’t matter.

She was leaving that cursed airport, going back to her responsibilities, to what she thought her life needed to be. She was leaving _her_ , and maybe her best chance to ever be happy. But it was right, somehow, the only possible outcome. The only acceptable ending.

She was gradually coming back to reality, the noise around her creeping back into her ears, people’s nervous chattering, flight announcements, noisy luggage wheels being pulled around. And some music in the background:

_Every single minute, I’ll be your hero and win it, run away with me…_

She slows down for a moment, was this in her head or was it real?

“You gotta be kidding me” she says out loud as she stops walking.

She takes a breath, a hand on her sore chest. _Fuck it_.

She starts running back to the gate without even realising what she was doing.

Her body was moving independently from her rational brain, her emotions taking over and a new, strange, force driving her back to those familiar watery blue eyes she left just a few minutes ago.

She runs and she’s out of breath, aching everywhere, but she won’t stop, she can’t stop now.

What was she thinking? Going back to her depressing routine, to an empty apartment, an empty life?

She thinks about Alexa smashed on the floor, her family in a cold safehouse. She feels a stabbing pain in her belly.

“That’s it, Dom, that’s your chance, let fucking go! It will never be easy, but it can feel fucking good for once” she’s saying to herself, as she approaches the gate.

Her heart is pounding, the thought of those eyes, those lips, that cheeky smile, the dizziness in her belly imagining her reaction… she might pass out only thinking about it, but she keeps running.

* * *

Darlene is still in the queue. She is shaking. She keeps looking over her shoulder and then back at her ticket.

What is she doing? Why is she going away? Does she really give a fuck about Budapest?

She just can’t help that feeling of serenity thinking about escaping, being in a foreign city, finally taking a break with someone…she cares about.

Someone she feels good with.

But that’s not going to happen, it was never going to happen, who was she kidding? Thinking she could be feeling good again, at least one more time.

Why is she going then? Every single person she cares about is staying behind. Is this what she really needs? Can she do it alone? She hesitates for a moment.

She knows the answer to all those questions.

No. She doesn’t need to go. Maybe she doesn’t need anyone either, but people need _her_. Elliot needs her. Fuck, Dom needs her, even if she’ll never admit it. Probably the pigs need her too, Jesus Christ!

And she needs to get a grip. She can’t run away forever, the shit she needs to get over, deal with, it can’t wait forever. Dom is right, she needs to grow up. She _has_ grown up. She can do this.

For some reason these thoughts come to her all at once, without any warning. Her breath gets heavier, her head feels like exploding.

She closes her eyes for a few seconds. Her legs start shaking again, she might throw up.

She needs to get out of there, she needs a moment. She turns around with an abrupt movement, ready to run to the bathroom.

* * *

“Darlene…” Dom whispers, completely out of breath.

She caught her in her arms, right when she turned around.

Darlene is paralysed. Is this real? She looks around hoping to get some confirmation that this is really happening and it’s not part of her panic attack.

“Dom… What the f---“, before she can finish the sentence Dom is kissing her.

It’s a forceful kiss, so needed if feels like a relief. Dom knew that was the reason she came back, to finally kiss Darlene, one more time.

Otherwise she would have never forgiven herself.

After that kiss the world could fall apart, and she would be fine with it.

After that kiss, nothing would matter anymore, she just needed to get to this moment.

Everything she’s been through in the last months finally made sense, it was all worth it because it led to this. And this is all that counts now.

Time stopped, people stopped, every noise around them silenced.

She could just hear her heart galloping and Darlene’s warmth invading her whole body through her lips.

It could have lasted a second or a million years, and then it was over.

Dom pulled her head back to look into those blue eyes, now filled with new tears. She could have happily died in that moment.

The background noise came back with a whistle, piercing her head, shutting her eyes closed, turning her smile into a frown.

The sudden pain spread quickly from her temples to her chest. She leaned forward, grabbing her coat with one hand, tightening her grip on her wound, the other hand still on Darlene’s shoulder.

“Ouch” – she let out a little cry. That was fucking painful.

“Dom, are you ok? What the fuck dude! In case you forgot, you got stabbed to death only hours ago!”

“I guess that’s not the reaction I wanted” – she replied with a sarcastic smile.

“You’re an idiot!” – Darlene couldn’t hide the genuine smile on her face.

“Let’s get you some water” she said while wrapping her arm around the FBI agent’s waist, helping her walk towards an empty seat.

It was time to get out of that goddamn airport.

* * *

“Darlene?”

“Oh my God you’re finally awake. Are you ok? I, um, I should call the nurse”

“This is real, isn’t it? Please tell me this isn’t a dream” “This isn’t a dream, Elliot”

“You’re here, right?” “I am right here. I promise… Nurse should be here any second”

“I thought I’d never see you again” “I thought I lost you too” “No way, I’m not going anywhere”

“You sure make that hard to believe sometimes…Do you remember what happened when you were at the power plant? They said you somehow stopped a meltdown but there was still an explosion.

The only way you survived it’s because the room you were in had some sort of advanced shielding. They found Whiterose’s body. She’s officially dead, along with that machine Angela said she was hiding.

When you cut the power supply, it malfunctioned and blew up. It was under the rubble, totally pulverized. Guess it’s official. You saved the world, Elliot Alderson”

Elliot hesitates for a moment, staring into the empty air next to his sister. He’s trying to recollect his thoughts, piecing his memories together.

“Wait, shouldn’t you be on a plane, Darlene?”

“Well, change of plans. Dom chickened out, then I chickened out, but she run back to me pulling her stitches like an idiot… She’s been in the room next to yours, she was discharged this morning. I’ll check on her later” –

she said that looking down, her lips curling upwards, still disbelieving what actually happened.

“She was in my dream, or whatever that was…” a few lines appear on his forehead, as he tries to remember

“…Your face changes when you talk about her, you know? Don’t let that go, Darlene. You deserve to be happy”

“I guess I do… We all do”

They both smile for a long, peaceful moment.

Then Elliot’s expression shifts from serene to slightly worried, as if he just remembered something he wanted to forget.

“I don’t think I can do this”

“Do what?”

“Darlene… who I am, it isn’t real”

* * *

The hallway was completely dark, she can barely see the keyhole. She tries to feel it on her fingers, as she forces the door open.

She never needed a key. The apartment is dark too. The only lights are coming in from the city, outside. They feel far and unreachable.

She looks across the room, in the spot of darkness where she guesses Dom will be.

“She must be asleep. If she’s ever _really_ asleep” she thinks to herself.

Darlene puts down her purple backpack and the black box she’s got in her hands, then takes her coat off, her shoes and her heart shaped sunglasses.

She takes a breath as she fills a glass of water from the sink in the kitchen.

When was last time she drank some water? She can’t remember.

Her eyes felt heavy, she was probably exhausted, but she didn’t want to admit it.

She was too worried to be tired. Elliot was still at the hospital, Dom was still…shaken. And she’d been better, for sure. Will they ever be fine after what happened to them?

She genuinely doesn’t know. But maybe it’s not time to know yet, maybe she can take it easy for tonight, and try to get some rest, letting the weight on her chest dissipate slowly, as she inhales and exhales softly.

She looks at the black silhouette lying in bed. She hopes Dom will be fine eventually. She was probably the only one that didn’t deserve any of that shit. Not her, not her family.

Fuck, it was so painful to admit in her heart how awful she was with her.

She was a terrible person, Dom was right. She’s always been. What she’s done to Elliot, to Cisco, to Trenton, to the people she loved… And now to Dom.

Was this the only way she knew how to love? That was a terrifying thought. It meant that she could never let herself love anyone without destroying them.

Could she ever stop that pattern? She thought about what Elliot said, she deserved to be happy. But Dom did too.

Dom should never find the strength to forgive her for what she’s done, that would be the healthy thing to do. What _sane_ people would do.

Unfortunately, she knew too well that none of them was _sane_.

Was there really something between them? Something _real_ , not the freaking surreal mess the last year felt like.

Could they have a chance after all the shit that went down? Could they be any good for each other?

It did seem like everybody else picked up on some _tension_. Not that she could trust any of those degenerates.

What she knows is that last time she remembers feeling good was that night they spent together, in that very apartment, where she’s sipping water right now.

She knows that she really wanted to shut Dom’s irritating moralistic ramble with a kiss on that bench.

She knows that she didn’t want to go to Budapest alone, she kept looking back hoping Dom would change her mind and go with her.

She knows that Dom is the only person she really trusts. It must mean something, no?

She also knows she’s been through a lot in the last year to make sense of anything right now.

The thing is, she wants to stop thinking. She just wants to feel good and have some light-heartedness in her life. Simple joy, contentment. No plans or schemes, strategies or secrets. Just an easy, even boring, existence. At least for a while.

“Darlene…?”- Dom whispers in the dark.

“Hey, sorry, did I wake you up?”

“No, no…I wasn’t really sleeping. I was looking at you”

“Dude that’s fucking creepy, why didn’t you say something sooner? Are you ok?”

“Yes, just a punctured lung, no big deal”

“Very funny! Are you still in pain? Do you want me to get your pills?”

“No, I’m ok thank you. Are you ok? How’s Elliot?”

“He’ll be fine. Still at the hospital, I tried to stay but they won’t let me, I’ll go back tomorrow morning. Plus, I had a certain FBI agent to check on…”

“Ah, you shouldn’t keep her waiting then…”

“Dickhead” Darlene puts the glass in the sink and approaches the bed. She lies next to Dom, sneaking inside the covers.

Dom…why did you come back? – This is what she wanted to ask. Why?

She could have gone back to her life, free herself from this messy hacker who just caused her lots of pain and ruined her life. Back to her family, her job.

But things weren’t so easy. She knew that.

Sometimes you can’t get away from things. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you want, what’s good for you, some things are inevitable.

Maybe Dom knew that her feelings were as inevitable as Darlene’s. And she loved Dom even more for being so brave and fearless, always.

She was too good for this fucked up world, too good for her fucked up self.

But this is what she said instead:

“Dom…you are stupid”

“Thanks…I know. It can’t always be you, you know?”

“Yeah, I’m not a good influence, especially on the social side of things”

“Well, my social skills were never good, you know that. I guess we both suck at this”

They look at each other, the blue of their eyes fading into one another. They know that’s true.

Darlene bites on her bottom lip softly, her stare roaming on Dom’s face, then down her neck, settling on her chest. Her expression is now worried, uncertain.

“What happens now?”

They both look at the ceiling, their eyes getting used to the darkness. Dom breaks the heavy silence with her soft voice:

“We breath” she says in a whisper, sighing gently.

“I can’t believe we survived this whole shit storm. Me, you, Elliot. How did we pull this off?” Darlene is holding her chest with her hands.

“I don’t know, but I guess now we just try to… accept it? How do people enjoy life?”

“Fuck knows, lots of therapy? Weed? Booze?”

“I might just stick with the legal options…”

They smile, for just a second.

“Dom, do you hate me?”

“Yes. I can’t stand you. But I can’t stay away neither”

“Dude, what the fuck does that mean?” she’s looking at the woman next to her with worried eyes, her mouth half open.

“I don’t hate you Darlene, I never could. And maybe I hate _that_. But here I am and…I think I realised here is where I’m supposed to be”

“…as I said, you’re stupid. But…” she hesitates “…I’m happy you’re here” They both let that sink in.

In that thick silence their thoughts take space: Dom never heard Darlene saying she was happy for anything. To think that she might be, gives her a warm shock, a pleasant cramp in her stomach.

Darlene tries to remember what being happy feels like. She thinks that maybe she’s never known.

A sneaky yawn comes out of the brunette’s mouth.

“You should get some sleep, come on, you’re not made of iron as you think”

“Yessir”

Dom gets closer to the sleepy young girl, pushing her down to lay her head on the girl's chest.

That’s unusual for Dom, to have the confidence to touch someone like that, to do it without hesitating, waiting or asking for permission, but she feels like they both need this human warmth from each other tonight.

Darlene is surprised by the redhead’s affection, but she’s more surprised with herself, feeling at ease next to this woman who’s hard to kill, hard to push back, but so incredibly fragile.

She enjoys the feeling of those beautiful red locks on her chest. She feels safe. Warm. Her sleepy eyes closing slowly. She can’t help but letting her guard down, letting the moment happen, knowing it’s just right.

“…ah, I almost forgot… Alexa, play _my slow jams_ ”

The music enters the room, a slow melody and a sweet voice fill the air.

_I've fallen in love with you, Please, tell me, tell me what else was there to do, When feelin lips like yours and looking into eyes like yours_

“You got a new one?” Dom asks in shock, lifting her head up.

“I felt bad smashing your only friend on the floor… but you have to promise to put some boundaries in your relationship, I ain’t no third wheel”

“Who’s the idiot now?”

“Still you, agent DiPierro”

“Don’t call me that”

They both chuckle softly.

Dom adjusts her head on the other woman's chest again and closes her eyes.

Before letting herself fall asleep, Darlene thinks that maybe, maybe, they will be ok after all.

_Oh, oh, my beating heart wants you, And my empty arms need you, Don't you go, please stay, And never try to send me away_


	2. You make a fool of death with your beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dom is still learning what 'letting go' really means. Darlene is playing tough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perhaps a self-indulgent chapter (who am I kidding, they all are).  
> It's all Florence's fault. She gives me too many "Dom vibes" (mark these words).
> 
> A short one, a bit of a domestic interlude to introduce the next chapter - which is my favourite one, so far (*creating unjustified suspense*).

She still had pain in her chest, sometimes. Not unbearable, just a pang in the heart here and there, when she wasn’t careful enough with her body.

The wound was healing nicely, the doctor said, she’ll just end up with a cool scar and a cool story. Although nothing feels _cool_ about what she’s been through.

Her sleep routine improved a little, at least. She was able to sleep most nights, since that run at the airport. It was easier when Darlene was there.

Darlene… she still had no idea what was happening with her.

They were supposed to run away together to Budapest. Dom couldn’t do it at first, but then changed her mind and run through the airport to get to Darlene right when she was leaving, not wanting to get on the plane anymore.

They were ridiculous. Both really bad at dealing with this type of things.

She did manage to kiss her though, probably the best kiss in her ‘long’ career as a kisser. She remembers running to the gate, having only that one thing in mind: just go kiss her. And it was worth it. Every single minute of it.

But with this rom-com-style stunt, she pulled her stitches, so she had to go back to the hospital, where Elliot was too, after stopping a nuclear explosion, defeating Whiterose forever. So Darlene had to take care of her brother and her stupid self.

She was still surprised by the dedication the small but fierce brunette put into making sure her and Elliot were ok. It must have been a lot to deal with.

The last weeks had definitely been eventful. A lot to cope with for all of them.

Darlene kept coming to Dom’s apartment to check on her, sometimes she would even spend the night. She bought food, cooked, helped cleaning and tidying. She even got her a new Alexa, with the promise she would not consider her as a real person, but just a machine.

She still remembers the first night they spent together after the airport. Dom’s head lying on Darlene’s chest. She actually slept almost 8 hours in a row, and that was practically a miracle.

Last time they had been so close was that cursed night at her apartment, when Darlene was trying to get to Dom’s safe. Although it was still painful to think about that, it now felt so far in the past, a weird old dream, a faded memory from another life. It probably _was_ another life.

Nothing else happened, though, after that perfect kiss at the airport.

Maybe that wasn’t entirely true, Darlene had shut her up with a kiss a few times in the past weeks. That just seemed to be their new thing. Dom rambling, Darlene kissing her to shut her up. She couldn’t say she minded that at all.

But nothing _serious_ had happened, no.

It was mainly due to her stubbornness. Although she _did_ let go when she went back for Darlene, since she was back in her apartment in NYC things had not been easy.

She was not able to see her family for a couple of weeks, until the FBI cleared her out. It was tough, because Dom was terribly worried, she couldn’t stop thinking about them, so much that Darlene insisted to hack into her brother’s computer to make sure they were fine. Classic Darlene. She wasn’t a fan of the idea, but she eventually gave in, and ended up being grateful to the clever hacker, for risking her freedom again just to check if the DiPierro’s were ok and let Dom have a few more hours of sleep.

The bureau then established she was not a threat and all she had said proved to be true. After a consultation, they came back with an offer: six months of administrative leave, obligatory therapy and her old job back.

She asked if she could have some time to think about it. She didn’t know what to do. She accepted the offer, knowing she had some time to work things out.

She knew that she needed to work to function, but she wasn’t sure she could handle it like she did before.

Something inside her had broken. Or maybe had been fixed. Either way things were different now, and nothing would ever be the same.

Maybe she could find something else to do. Something she could be passionate about, driven. Again. She still wanted justice for the world, she just didn’t know how to fight for it now.

Her phone buzzed, interrupting her train of thought.

_**D0loresH4ze:** _

_what up GS? Lunch later?_

_**DDiPierro:** _

_Can do. Mine or yours? P.s. GS?_

_**D0loresH4ze:** _

_Love that question. Mine. 1245. Laters, Girl Scout ;)_

Suddenly she was excited about her day. Something to do. A reason to shower and get dressed. An hour later, she was in front of Darlene’s apartment. She gets inside the building and finds the right door. She’s about to knock, when the door opens.

“Oh, hi” Elliot looks at her with surprise.

“Hey, Darlene invited me, I hope it’s ok…”

“Sure, I was just going to get something from the shop. We forgot we don’t have any pasta. Please come in”

“Thanks” Dom gets into the apartment, feeling a little uncomfortable, she looks at her own feet until she hears Darlene’s voice:

“Dom? Is it you? Come here” Dom follows her voice to the kitchen.

“Hey”

“Hi babe, are you ok?” Dom is still not used to Darlene’s nicknames, but she keeps pretending she’s not affected.

“I’m ok, the usual. Nothing extraordinary”

“Listen, I’m ok with boring in these days” Dom smiles. She’s ok with that too, she thinks.

“So what are you cooking?”

“Pasta! But then we realised we don’t have any so…”

“Yeah, I saw Elliot going out. He seems…ok”

“He’s doing much better. How about you?”

“Yes, good. I should start therapy soon”

“Yeah? Did you choose a therapist?”

“Nope. Not yet”

“Ok. Hey tonight there’s this thing at this bar that I like, me and Elliot were thinking to go. Wanna come?”

“Ehm, not a lot of info there, Darlene”

“Come on, there will be drinks, music and me. What else do you need to know?”

That was a fair question, she actually didn’t need to know anything else. Nor she cared.

“What type of music?”

“You’ll like it, trust me” she said with a wink.

“You don’t make it always easy”

“Ouch, that hurt. Too soon, agent DiPierro” Darlene said gripping her t-shirt on her chest.

“Please don’t call me that, I told you”

“Sorry agent DiPierro” Dom rolls her eyes, Darlene was impossible. Beautiful, but impossible.

“Do you want to put some music on, to set the mood? You can go through Elliot’s records, he’s got some secret gems”

Dom goes to the living room, where she finds a cabinet with Elliot’s vynils. After a quick browse she settles on Etta James. A classic. The music fills the room and Darlene yells something from the kitchen.

“What did you say? I couldn’t hear” Dom asks, going back in the room where Darlene is.

“I said, great choice, I love that album”

“Sometimes I can get one thing right in the social game”

“I feel like you’ve improved a lot, hon”

“Thanks ma’am”

They smile.

Elliot comes back a few minutes later with two packs of pasta. Spaghetti. The two siblings cook together, trying to do their best to present an edible hot meal to the FBI agent. Dom is impressed with the result. She loves seeing the Aldersons doing things together, things that are completely legal.

They eat, discuss about politics, the fate of the economy of the country, they laugh about something Flipper does. They spend a pleasant lunch together. This has become pretty common with the three of them. They meet often and just try to do _normal_ stuff together. Like _normal_ people are supposed to do. Although none of them has ever been (or ever will be) _normal_.

“So, Dom will start therapy soon” Darlene throws in the middle of the conversation, drinking the last sip of beer from Dom’s bottle.

Dom gives her the side eye, trying to protest.

“It’s Friday Darlene. Leave my drink alone”

“You don’t need the whole bottle, shush” Darlene replies without turning her head, looking intensely at Elliot.

“That’s good” Elliot replies.

“It is, it’s helping you a lot, no? Krista? She’s pretty good” Darlene is staring at her brother trying to tell him something without saying it.

“Ehm, yes, she’s really good” Elliot is clearly not getting it.

“Maybe you can give her Krista’s number?”

“What?” both Dom and Elliot ask at the same time.

“Why not?” Darlene’s interrogative face searches Dom’s, looking for a reason to _not_ think that would be a good idea.

“Darlene…I think that wouldn’t be…right” Dom says, after a moment of silence.

“Why not?” Elliot interjects, Darlene’s eyes darting around his face. He finally got the point.

“Krista is an incredible professional, I don’t think there would be any problem. On the contrary, it might help to speak to someone that is already familiar with some of the events that have been traumatic for you and the people involved…”

“Thank you, I’ll think about it” Dom interrupts him before he can finish his sentence.

Darlene looks at her brother as if she wants to kill him with her mind. Elliot mouths “sorry” without emitting any sound.

“Who wants dessert?” he asks, trying to salvage the situation.

“No thanks, I’m completely full. Thank you for this, it was delicious” Dom pulls her chair back and stands up.

“Hey don’t go, come with me, let’s walk Flipper. It’s a sunny day today”.

Darlene looks at Dom with the most tender expression, doing that thing she does, when she just talks with her eyes, as if she wants to say: let me take care of you, please. And for the first time Dom really wants to let her.

* * *

They walk a lot, talk a lot, laugh a little. She enjoys spending time outside with Darlene, and she loves dogs, a lot more than Darlene does. It’s a good way to get distracted and stop thinking for a little bit.

They stay out to watch the sunset: the orange, purple, pink colours of the sky emanating a magical light, extending the magic to the whole city. It was her favourite moment of the day. Darlene knew that. That’s why she always suggested long walks, to catch the sunset before they could go back home. Dom never pegged Darlene for the romantic type, but she could be very sweet sometimes. Obviously, she wasn’t aware of it and she would deny it forever with a loud “ _fuck no_ ”.

By the time she got back home it was dark, the city lights were invading her little apartment.

_8pm._

She promised Darlene she would meet her in two hours. She wants to take another shower and have a snack. Pick an outfit. Maybe listen to a podcast. She’s been doing a lot of that lately, at least she’s not speaking to Alexa anymore, pretending she’s her friend.

_9:30pm_.

_**D0loresH4ze:** _

_DiPierro, where you at?_

_**DDiPierro:** _

_Home. Rendezvous location?_

_**D0loresH4ze:** _

_Change of plans, I’ll come get you at your place_

Half an hour later Darlene shows up at her apartment, checking Dom out before opening her mouth:

“Is that what you’re wearing?”

“Yes…why?”

“We’re going out, Dom”

“Yes, what’s wrong?” Darlene rolls her eyes:

“Loose the cardigan, and undo the first three buttons of your shirt”

Dom hesitates for a moment, she doesn’t know if she should be pissed off or grateful, either way she does what she’s told, and they leave the house.

“Where’s Elliot?”

“He’s already there…He’s with Leon”

“Oh. Leon. My dear friend”

“He’s cool, but I understand if you don’t want to see him”

“No, it’s fine, we had a bonding experience during our little road trip”

They walk for a little bit, then they jump on the tube for a couple of stops.

“It’s right here” Darlene points at an old warehouse across the street. It looks like an abandoned building, but even from the other side of the street Dom can hear a loud bass and see colourfoul lights shining from the big windows.

They get to the front door and a giant bodyguard looks at them for a couple of seconds before asking:

“Code word?”

Darlene replies promptly:

“Fsociety”

“What the fuck?” Dom looks at Darlene with a shocked face.

“I’ll explain later, shh” Darlene shuts Dom’s mouth with her index finger.

The bodyguard lets them in, stamping a fluorescent blue logo on their wrists: it’s a stylised D.

Only then she realises the name of the place. _Domehell_.

“You gotta be kidding me” she says too quietly for Darlene to pick up. But she does.

“Yeah babe, don’t pay attention to the name, it’s because this place used to be _The Dome_ , and now it’s... _hell_. Don’t overthink this” she says looking intensely into Dom’s grey eyes.

Those words sound ominous to her. She feels like that stare just cut right through her, leaving her naked and powerless. Can she not overthink anything? She doubts it.

They enter this immense room: high ceilings, red brick walls, large windows. A thousand of light bulbs cover the roof, coming down from the ceiling on long black strings, enough to guarantee visibility in the huge room, and to leave some patches of darkness on the dance floor. There was a huge bar on the right side of the room, a dark wooden counter and right behind it hundreds of shiny bottles and fancy glasses, glass jars filled with dried oranges and limes, fresh mint and berries.

At the end of the room there was a stage where a live band was playing. They were all dressed in white, except for their red shiny shoes. Despite the room being so big, it was completely filled with people, giving the sensation to be in a very crowded square of a European city during a national festivity. Overall it was a pretty cool place.

Darlene approaches the bar and orders two shots.

“Let’s start with a classic” she says passing the shot to Dom.

“Darlene, remember, I’m trying to be good with alcohol, I can’t get too excited”

“Babe I know, don’t worry, it’s the weekend!”

Dom drinks her shot and feels the benefit of it almost immediately. The music gets a little louder, her shoulders relax, her legs stop shaking, the stabbing pain in her chest ceases. Now that she drinks only at weekends, one shot is enough to make her tipsy.

When she turns around to find Darlene, she’s talking to two figures, she realises they’re Elliot and Leon, they’re both waving at her. She waves back with a faltering smile.

That Leon guy still makes her feel weird. Probably more than understandable.

But it is Friday night, she’s alive, Darlene took her out and just gave her a shot. Maybe she can have some fun, if she can remember how that works. It’s been so long. If she thinks about it, last time she had something like a ‘ _fun time_ ’ it was probably in Whiterose’s house, looking at all her clocks and beautiful garments. How fucked up was that, huh?

“Dom, where have you gone?”

“What? I’m here, right here?”

“Don’t get lost in your intense thoughts. It’s Friday night and we’re out”

“Yes, you’re right. I’m ready to have fun” she says trying to pull off an attempt of a dance move.

“Wow, how many of those have you got?” Darlene asks, impressed.

“Well, you know, a few” Dom winks at the brunette, pretending to be cool when those incredible blue eyes look back at her. Will she ever be able to tell her how she feels around her?

“Come on, let’s go dancing”

“What?” Dom pretends to not hear her.

“Come on, girl scout, I know you’ve got it in you”

Darlene grabs Dom’s hand and pushes her to the centre of the dancefloor. The music is not completely intolerable, everybody around her is dancing carelessly, following a personal style that makes everybody look different, at ease, happy, young and free. All things Dom forgot how to be. But her attention is focused on the brunette dancing in front of her.

Her eyes are closed, feeling the music inside of her, moving with rhythm, letting her arms float around. When she opens her eyes, she smiles at the people dancing around her, exchanging a few moves with them to then come back to her spot, right in front the awkward FBI agent, who’s doing her best to not look completely out of depth.

Then this song comes on, and the crowd screams in unison, including Darlene.

_At seventeen, I started to starve myself, I thought that love was a kind of emptiness, and at least I understood then the hunger I felt, And I didn't have to call it loneliness_

She looks at Dom with an excited smile, grabs her collar and pushes her closer to shout something in her ear:

“I fucking LOVE this song! LISTEN” she says pointing at the air above her finger, with one of the biggest smiles she’s ever seen on her face.

She tries to focus on the song, an angelical voice is filling her ears, and all of a sudden she’s listening to the words, and Dom feels like they’re _for her_ , _just for her_ , to listen to and absorb them.

_And it's Friday night and it's kicking in, and I can't dress, they're gonna crucify me, Oh, but you and all your vibrant youth, how could anything bad ever happen to you? You make a fool of death with your beauty_

She searches for Darlene’s eyes, but they’re closed again, she’s taking the music in, maybe she’s listening to those words too, she has a smile on her face, she’s moving effortlessly.

The song keeps talking to Dom, it’s saying exactly what she wants to say right now to the small hacker who turned her life upside down:

_Tell me what you need, oh, you look so free, the way you use your body, baby, come on and work it for me, don't let it get you down, you're the best thing I've seen, we never found the answer but we knew one thing, we all have a hunger_

Darlene opens her eyes and finds Dom’s. Did she actually hear those words? Does she know this is what Dom wants to tell her? Is this the reason why Darlene was excited about the song?

She doesn’t know if it’s the shot of tequila, the music, the collective euphoria surrounding her, or Darlene’s electric energy, but she’s convinced that Darlene heard what she wanted her to hear, and she’s now grabbing her, pulling her closer to dance together, and Dom can’t find any excuse not to, she’s feeling light, her feet naturally moving with the music, her wound not giving her any pain. She can’t help but smiling.

Everybody starts jumping up and down, everybody syncing to a unique movement, Darlene gets caught in it too and takes Dom’s hand, now they’re jumping with everyone else, Dom feels free like she didn’t in a long time, and those words get stuck in her head, leaving her a beautiful feeling she never forgot about, but she desperately needed a reminder of: _hope._

She looks at Darlene again, their eyes lock, Dom gets lost into that familiar, intoxicating blue, those words pulsing in her head, her smile finally authentic. Darlene must be the best thing she’s seen.

_You make a fool of death, with your beauty, and for a moment, I forget to worry_


	3. And suddenly I'm melting into you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW Domlene.  
> No further explanation required.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My favourite chapter so far - the one we all needed.

“What the fuck, Dom?”

“I said, get out...! What? Are you surprised? What did you expect, Darlene? Grow up, for Christ’s sake”

“Dude, chill the fuck out!”

“Fuck no! I can’t!”

“Why can’t you? Shit, just chill for a second”

“You gotta be kidding me, this is _not_ how this works Darlene. I’m furious!”

“I can see that, dude. Jesus. You haven’t stopped screaming for the last twenty minutes. I am surprised you haven’t pulled your stitches again”

“I don’t give a damn about my stitches, that’s the thing that hurts _the least_ ”

“Oh my god, what is so fucking painful then?” “Why are you such a dickhead, huh?”

“I don’t know, why are you being an asshole? What the hell do you want from me? Can you please finally tell me?”

“I have to tell you? That’s where we’re at? What do _you_ want from _me_ , Darlene? I’m here because of you!”

“You came back! FUCK! You ran fucking back for me! Why? Why the hell did you do that?” Darlene is now shouting, tears forming around her eyes.

“Because I’m a fucking idiot! It’s like you said!” her voice starts shaking.

“Because… I didn’t want to come back here, to this life…without you” she’s now calming down, her voice getting softer.

They both stop and breath. They look at each other intensely for what feels like decades. Their eyes like magnets, they can’t look away. Alexa is still playing Faith Hill in the background.

_'Cause I can feel you breathe, It's washing over me, And suddenly I'm melting into you, There's nothing left to prove, Baby, all we need is just to be, Caught up in the touch, Slow and steady rush, Baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be, I can feel you breathe, just breathe_

“Fuck…” Darlene lets out, among her sobs. She sits on the bed and tries to breath. She doesn’t want to deal with a panic attack right now. Wrong – fucking - time.

“I’m sorry…I’m just…still not well” Dom sits next to the brunette, running one hand through her messy red locks.

Darlene is still crying, she doesn’t want to, she’s using all her energy to stop the tears from coming, but she’s failing miserably.

“I don’t know how to function like a normal human being anymore”

“Dom, it’s fine. I know. I’m not having the time of my life either”

“Pff, I guess we still suck at this” she scoffs, her eyes looking at the floor.

“What? Life? Yeah man” Darlene pauses for a second, choosing her words carefully.

“Do you…want me to go?” she asks hesitantly.

“No…please don’t” Dom puts her hand on Darlene’s, with a soft touch.

“I’m real sorry, I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that”

“Dom, fuck, it’s fine! You can freak out, you can shout, stop holding everything in. I swear to God, I fucking hate when you do it, but you’re mostly right. We’ve been through a lot, you have been through a lot. We have to stop pretending we’re ok. I know this bullshit, because it’s what I do too”

“Since when did you become so wise?”

“I just happen to be very smart, you forget sometimes because I do stupid shit” Dom smiles briefly.

“I don’t know how long it’s going to take…to feel ok again”

“Dude, who the fuck knows? It’ll take the time that it will take. It’s the new thing Elliot keeps saying, Krista told him, I think. Speaking of which, have you thought about what he said?”

“Yeah…I just don’t like shrinks”

“I know Dom, but let’s be honest, we all need therapy”

“I guess we do. I’ll ask the bureau if that’s ok, you know, they might not like that she’s also Elliot’s therapist”

“Fucking pigs”

“Darlene…”

“Sorry, but not really sorry”

They stay in silence for a few seconds.

Then Darlene decides to break it with a piece of truth. She’s really trying to be brave and cut the bullshit, being very aware that the time for lying and hiding is over.

“Listen, there’s no rush for anything. And… I’m not going anywhere”

“You’re…not?” Dom is uncertain of what she’s just heard.

“No, Dom. I’m not. Listen, I know you have no reasons to, but please trust me. You’re the only one I can’t lie to”

Dom looks at her. It was true. She always knew when those eyes were lying or hiding something. She could not see any trace of that now. Just pain and a new light, an unknown presence in her look, something that could be mistaken for… _hope_?

“I…want to trust you, Darlene. I just need time”

“Time is literally all we have”

Now is Darlene that’s reaching out to Dom, looking for her hand, squeezing it forcefully once she finds it.

The music in the background fills the air between them, crashing against the usual tension that surrounds them every time they share a room.

_I'm not calling you a liar, just don't lie to me, I'm not calling you a thief, just don't steal from me, I'm not calling you a ghost, just stop haunting me, And I love you so much, I'm gonna let you kill me_

They’re both unsure on what to do, their movements approximate and shy, they slowly move closer and, after some hesitation, Dom wraps her arms around Darlene’s waist, burying her head in the brunette’s shoulder, brushing her nose against her neck. This slow movement tickles Darlene deeper than she expects, her hands gently resting on Dom’s head.

Probably it shouldn’t be like that, but she knows that this is the most intimate she’s been with anyone in a long time. A type of intimacy that is beyond attraction, desire, need or just physical contact. That special connection she shared with Dom since the day they met. For a second, she thinks she can say all of this out loud, but she knows she can’t. She wishes for it to be enough, them in each other’s arms, trying to breathe again.

And it is enough. There’s no need to say anything, because Dom feels the same. She tried so hard to deny this crazy, annoying, powerful tension between them, but the harder she tried the stronger the feeling grew. Until she realised it was pointless to fight back and keep holding on to loneliness. That’s why she run back to that gate. That’s why she’s here now. She knows it’s right. Unfortunately knowing it, doesn’t make it any easier. She never liked _easy_ , though.

“Darlene…Thank you”

“What? You must be crazy dude, there’s nothing you should thank me for”

“Yes, there is, you’re here…for me. You don’t have to... You don’t owe me anything, even if you think so. Are you sure this is where you want to be?”

“Dom, I rarely know shit, but I know this much… I am exactly where I should be”

Dom lifts her head up, untangling herself from Darlene’s embrace. She looks into those electric blue eyes and before she can think about it, she leans forward to kiss Darlene vigorously, her hands still on the brunette’s hips, her palms sweating.

“Are you sure?” she asks, breaking the kiss.

Dom’s kiss triggered a weird sensation in Darlene’s body, suddenly a familiar kind of warmth invaded her, igniting a dormant passion she hoped could be controlled.

“I’m fucking sure, idiot” Darlene says in a whisper, kissing her back passionately, her tongue as determined as Dom’s, her arms around the redhead’s neck, pulling herself closer.

The FBI agent returns the kiss with the same urgency, knowing she’s been wanting this for longer than she’ll ever admit.

The brunette quickly takes control and Dom lets her: even if she wanted to, she doesn’t have it in her to fight _that_. She wants to let go and abandon herself to Darlene’s touch and confident lips, hands, legs.

Darlene pushes Dom on the bed, takes her shirt off, unbuttons her jeans confidently, lets Dom undo her bra, letting it slide to her side.

Dom pulls the strap of the brunette’s vest to push her closer, letting her settle on top of her. Darlene laughs gently at that unexpected move, loving to see how badly the redhead wants this.

She takes her vest off, lets her shorts slide down to the floor. They’re both barefoot.

Darlene hesitates for a second, taking in the vision of the beautiful woman trembling with desire in front of her.

“Come here” Dom puts both her hands on Darlene’s cheeks, pulling her back on top of her.

This time is Darlene the one to let go. She didn’t know how much she wanted this to happen until now. There isn’t much she can do at this point, with her own surprise, she’s dying to feel Dom’s skin against hers, their body pressed against each other.

Dom finishes to undress her, skilfully, while Darlene does the same with her. Their kisses become more desperate, messy, uncontrolled, their tongues playing in each other’s mouths, licking each other’s lips.

Darlene starts kissing Dom’s neck, god she loves her neck, she can’t stop, she keeps going down, to her collar bone, her breast, careful around her wound, finding her nipple, sucking on it slowly, biting a bit too hard, without realising or intending to.

“ _Ah_ …” Dom lets out, enjoying the sudden shivers the slight pain sent down her spine. Pain mixed with pleasure.

Darlene’s hand starts roaming around Dom’s body, knowing exactly how to move, where to go, until she reaches what she’s looking for. Two sneaky fingers slide between Dom’s legs, Darlene can feel the wetness on her fingertips, making her mouth open wider, in an excited stupor, gently smiling as she looks up at Dom, telling her with her eyes how pleased she is to have discovered that the serious FBI agent wants this as much as she does.

Those fingers go deeper in that wetness, as Dom’s moans get louder. Darlene has no rush, she lets her index finger roam around, gently rubbing on Dom’s clit, until she can feel it’s time to go faster, and harder. Dom groans with desire.

“Fuck Darlene…”

Hearing her name whispered with that soft voice, gives the brunette a shock of pleasure that runs all over her body, from her red cheeks to her throbbing pussy. She kisses her hard, her tongue pushing inside Dom’s mouth like her fingers are pushing inside of her, one finger still sliding softly (but rapidly) on her clit. She can feel Dom’s hips moving against her, Dom’s fingernails digging into her back.

The redhead can’t take it anymore, but she doesn’t want it to end. She grabs Darlene’s hips and turns her around, now she’s on top of her. Darlene smiles, amused by Dom’s urge to take control, still impressed by her strengths, overwhelmed by the desire to make the redhead feel good, excited about feeling good herself, slightly worried about the wound in Dom’s chest.

Her fingers still inside her, she looks at her grey eyes, Dom kisses her fervently, biting her bottom lip, giving Darlene the hint to press her finger harder on her clit. She can hear Dom moaning in her ear, making her head spin. She keeps sliding her finger on Dom’s throbbing clit, faster and faster, until she feels her orgasm… Her soft scream silenced by the pillow where she’s burying her head, her body trembling, the wetness between her legs.

Dom grabs Darlene’s wrist and gently pushes those fingers out of her. The shock of the pleasure hit is still tingling her body, but she’s impatient to give the same shock to the woman under her. She straddles the brunette, letting her clit press exactly on Darlene’s.

“Oh my god, Dom…fuck- “

Darlene never felt so good in her entire life. Dom keeps pushing her hips against Darlene’s, their clits gliding against each other, Darlene can’t keep her eyes open or her mouth closed, the warmth she feels at her centre pervades and penetrates all of her body, shivers run up and down her spine, she buries her nails in Dom’s back, trying to do anything she can to pull her closer, if it was possible to be any closer than that.

Dom is kissing her lips, her chin, her neck, biting her, licking her with determination, she holds Darlene’s nipple between her teeth, waiting for the right moment to suck on it gently.

She keeps going down, despites Darlene’s protest, begging the redhead to not move. But Dom’s mouth kisses her belly, her hip bones, to finally reach her wet pussy. She kisses it gently, one hand still playing with the brunette’s nipple, the other one grabbing her buttock. Darlene is pushing her hips against Dom’s mouth, letting the redhead know that she’s now impatient to feel her inside.

Dom keeps kissing and softly biting the inside of her thighs, her labia, her clit, frustratingly slowly, until Darlene puts her hands on the red locks between her legs to beg for any action. At that point Dom pushes her tongue deep inside her, she’s so wet, Dom loves every bit of it, she almost comes just feeling Darlene’s warmth and wetness in her tongue, it’s the sweetest taste she’s ever tasted, and she can’t have enough of it. Her tongue goes in and out slowly but vigorously, until she decides to focus on her clit, licking it gently, in small circles…

“Dom, Jesus Christ, fuck, fuck, _fuck_ …”

Dom’s tongue goes faster and faster, she feels the brunette’s body shaking, she can’t stop, she never wants to stop. Until Darlene’s pussy tightens, her legs tremble, her back arches backwards against the bed, her hands gripping the sheets at her sides.

Dom’s tongue pushes inside her one more time, getting out gently, savouring all of her, kissing her thighs, slowly crawling back up to reach her breast, her neck and finally her lips.

“Oh my fucking god, Dom. What the hell was that? Fuck me, you nearly killed me”

“Nearly” Dom says softly, falling on her back, a little out of breath. A hand on her chest, her eyes closed.

“You ok?” Darlene makes sure.

“Yeah” Dom replies, opening her eyes again.

Darlene is also recovering, breathing heavily.

“I guess I forgot how good you were”

“Was that good?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

Dom is smiling, Darlene rolls on her side and rests her head on her hand, her elbow pinned on the bed. She’s looking at Dom’s relaxed face, her eyes shining with a new light she’s never seen before.

“You’re fucking good at this and you know, cut the bullshit”

“Well, I never received any complain, but it has been a while…”

“I’m sure that can change”

“You don’t think this is… a mistake?”

“Dude, listen, I don't want to think about it too much...If it is, it’s the best mistake I’ve ever done”

“You know what, shocking, but for once I agree with you. If this is a mistake, it’s the best mistake I’ve ever done”

“I’m fine with that” Darlene says softly, as she leans forward to kiss Dom’s shoulder.

“Are you going to tell your brother?”

“What? About us? What’s there to say?”

“Ehm, whatever this is?” Dom says drawing circles in the air with her finger.

“I think he knows. He probably knew before I did. Are you going to tell…anyone?”

“Ah, I bet Trudie already knows too, even if she never officially met you”

They both laugh.

Dom picks up her t-shirt and underwear from the floor and puts them back on, now looking for her glasses. She finds them on the table, wears them and checks the time.

“Are you hungry?”

“I’m staaarving” Darlene says while approaching Dom’s closet, picks a t-shirt and wears it.

“Ehm, that’s mine?”

“Yep, cosy. Thanks. Pizza?” she jumps back in bed.

Pizza sounds like a great idea, Dom places the order on the app in her phone and then looks back up at the brunette on her bed, inside her favourite t-shirt. She doesn’t remember last time she felt like that.

She knows she still has worries and fears, a lot to deal with, but she’s sure it can all wait. A slice of pizza won’t do any harm. Is this how the infamous _happiness_ people talk about works and feels like? She decides she doesn’t care at all. She just wants to stay in this moment as long as she can.

“Pizza will do” she says with a smile as she sits back on the warm spot in her bed.


End file.
